Field of Invention
The inventive subject matter relates to a device and method of measuring electrical charge on flying insects.
Background Art
Insecticides are typically applied to flying insects by spraying the insecticide with random coating or application based on chance collision with the spray.
Some pest traps comprise chemical lures, which attract the insect and are trapped by electrostatically charged particles (U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,543 to Howse) or are coated with electrostatically charged powder (U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,810 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,375 to P. E. Howse). However, no method of applying insecticides to flying insects by electrostatic charge currently exists. Furthermore, no efficient method to accurately measure static charge produced by flying insects is available. Devices and methods to obtain these measurements is of importance in designing methods to apply insecticides to flying insects using static charge with the minimum amount of pesticide, thus minimizing environmental impact.